HEAD GAMES: Under the new rule, helmet hits like this by ballcarriers will result in a 15-yard penalty.AP

PHOENIX — Running backs can no longer truck and quarterbacks can no longer tuck after a vote by the NFL’s owners yesterday.

A crackdown on ballcarriers using the crown of their helmet in the open field and the elimination of the infamous “Tuck Rule” were the two biggest changes for the 2013 season to come out of the final day of the annual league meetings.

The helmet rule, meaning you will no longer see running backs leaning in and “trucking” defenders in the open field, was the more controversial change — controversy that only figures to pick up steam once the games start being played.

Any runner caught in the open field using the crown of his helmet to initiate contact with the a runner will be assessed a 15-yard penalty, which will not be reviewable.

“There was a lot of discussion [among the owners before the vote], but the way it was presented seemed like the best way to address this,” Steelers president Art Rooney III said.

The change, which had the strong backing of commissioner Roger Goodell as part of his push to improve player safety, passed by a 31-1 vote (only the Bengals were in opposition), but the naysayers already are out in force.

Bears’ running back Matt Forte called it “the most absurd suggestion for a rule change that I’ve ever heard.” Critics also expressed concern about it lengthening games and giving officials yet another difficult snap decision to make.

A review of film from Week 16 last season by the league showed 34 incidents of helmet contact by running backs, five of which would have resulted in penalties.

Meanwhile, the Tuck Rule made famous (or notorious, depending on your viewpoint) by the Patriots’ Tom Brady in a 2002 playoff game against the Raiders belatedly was done away.

The rule was changed by a 29-1 vote, with the Steelers opposed and New England (of course) and the Redskins abstaining.

* After threatening its existence due to the sloppy, embarrassing game last year, Goodell confirmed that the Pro Bowl will continue and be played in Honolulu in 2014.

Goodell said the league was encouraged to continue the game by the increased competitiveness of this year’s Pro Bowl, although he hinted that changes could be afoot.

One proposal Goodell mentioned would copy the NHL and have the two captains choose sides from a pool of players voted to the game.

Next season’s game will be held at Aloha Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2014, one week before Super Bowl XLVIII at the Meadowlands.